In their bright yellow safety vests, Metro police converged on a rail stop in the Med Center to talk to riders about safety. Officers made their appeal just blocks away from where a Rice University professor was struck and killed by a train back in February. There was another fatal crash days later just outside the Super Bowl.

On the rail platform in from of Memorial Hermann Hospital, we spoke with medical student Dylan Supak. She rides the rails frequently and says a lot of people simply get distracted.

“Especially with headphones in and listening to music or looking down reading on phones. I think that’s the biggest thing,” says Supak.

And that’s a big deal to Metro Police Captain Darren Lewis, who oversees patrols along the rail lines. Lewis says looking up from your phone could literally save your life.

“We always want to look both directions before we cross,” says Lewis. “Look at the signals. All of those intersections have a button that you push to walk and you’ve got to make sure you’re looking at the right signal before you cross.”

Metro says it’s currently instituting safety measures like louder horns and brighter colors on the rail cars. The transit agency is also considering more barriers that would separate people from moving trains.

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Gail Delaughter

Transportation Reporter

From early-morning interviews with commuters to walks through muddy construction sites, Gail covers all aspects of getting around Houston. That includes walking, driving, cycling, taking the bus, and occasionally flying. Before she became transportation reporter in 2011, Gail hosted weekend programs for Houston Public Media. She's also covered courts in...